


Not Such A Bad Day After All

by ProdigyBlood



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, RIP Kenny’s game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 03:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProdigyBlood/pseuds/ProdigyBlood
Summary: Kenny just wants to close up and head home for the day but there’s always that one asshole who comes in five minutes before closing...





	Not Such A Bad Day After All

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one I wrote in an hour while I was meant to be doing something else :))

The bell jingled, indicating some asshole who apparently needed his coffee fix enough to pop in five minutes before closing. Kenny hated those people; usually they _ummed_ and _ahhed_ for several minutes and then ordered the fanciest, hardest to prepare drink on the menu. Those sorts could go to hell. Kenny would happily lend them a hand on their way. 

Especially today. Today, he was not in the mood. 

It had been a bad day. He was long overdue a death and the universe seemed to be doing its damn best to change that. He’d almost sliced off his hand, impaled himself on a shard of glass that just _happened_ to be out back, drunk from a mug of bleach – why the _hell_ was that even there?! – and smashed his head in when a rude customer had pushed past him in their haste. 

It had put him in a rather shitty mood if he were honest. All he wanted was to close up, somehow get home without dying and curl up in front of Netflix. Was that too much to ask for? 

Apparently so, judging by the asshole who was clearing his throat at the counter. Kenny had been hoping if he ignored the problem it would go away. Evidently, that wasn’t to be. 

Wiping his hands on his apron, he fixed a smile onto his face and turned around. 

Everything stopped: Time, Kenny’s breathing, even the customers order halted mid word.

Blue eyes locked on green, frozen wide in surprise. 

And, just for a minute, everything was perfect. 

That minute ended with the customer dragging his gaze to the counter top, his face and ears turning a blotchy red. 

_Cute._

Kenny couldn’t explain what had happened between them. He’d never seen the red headed man before, but, as their eyes had locked, he’d known he wanted to see him everyday for the rest of his life. 

It was weird how one meets their soulmate. If such things existed. Kenny was inclined to believe they did as he smiled at the blushing red head, suddenly so completely not mad that it was closing time and this guy still hadn’t ordered anything. 

“Can I just get a coffee, please? Black,” The redhead said finally, still not looking up from the interesting stain he was intently studying. 

“Sure thing, darlin’.” 

That got the man’s attention. He looked up sharply. 

“Darling?” He quirked an eyebrow. 

“Hot stuff?” Kenny reattempted. 

“My name’s Kyle. You could have just asked,” his eyes flickered to Kenny’s name badge and back up, meeting his eyes again, his gaze almost defiant, “ _Kenny._ ”

“Kyle,” Kenny hummed, making not attempt to make Kyle’s coffee. “Nah. I’m just going to call you sweet cheeks.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Hey, if you insist on coming into a coffee shop just as it’s closing then I think I get the right to call you whatever I wish.”

“You’re closing?” Kyle glanced around the empty shop and then back at Kenny, a spark of guilt in those incredible green eyes. 

“Have to do it some point.” Kenny shrugged and, finally, reluctantly, turned to make Kyle’s coffee. It took less time than he’d like before he was turning around again. Their fingers brushed as Kenny handed over the hot drink and he audibly gulped as his flesh burned from the contact. 

What was this? He’d had crushes before. He’d met plenty of attractive people. What was it about this stranger that had him struggling to breathe? Why did he look at this guy and want to get down on one knee? 

“I should go then. Let you close up.” Was it just Kenny or did Kyle sound reluctant? 

Well, thank god the cute stranger seemed to feel the same spark he did. God, how embarrassing would it be if he were alone in this unexpected allure. 

Kenny hesitated. On the one hand, he really did need to shut up shop for the night. He was also tethering on the edge and was not keen on the idea of dying in front of this handsome dude who’d suddenly wandered into his life. On the other, though, he knew he would regret it for eternity if he allowed Kyle to walk out of that door.

“No,” he said quickly, then blushed and amended, “I mean, yeah. I do need to close but you could stay? It looks cold outside. You’re not in a rush are you?” Was he rambling? He felt like he might be rambling. 

“You want me to stay?” Kyle pursed his lips and glanced around. “You’re not a murderer are you?”

Kenny laughed. “Not tonight,” he joked. “But I would like to get to know you. Um, if that’s okay? I mean, it’s totally weird, right? Just forget it.”

Oh god, where had his game gone? He wasn’t usually such a bumbling idiot. In fact, Kenny like to think, he was normally pretty smooth. 

“I don’t know,” Kyle said, hesitantly. He glanced at the exit again and Kenny realised he was nervous. Sure, he might have felt the same draw as Kenny did, but he had more sense than the blond, apparently. He knew it was weird to invite a stranger to stay after lock up so that they could ‘get to know one another.’ 

Jesus. Kenny probably sounded like a right creep. Undoubtedly, Kyle hadn’t been joking when he’d asked if he were a murderer. 

Kenny forced a light laugh. “You’re right,” he said. “It was a bad idea. Um, your coffee’s on me though. Have a nice night.” 

It took all of Kenny’s willpower to turn away from Kyle. He pretended to be searching for something while he waited for the bell to chime. When it didn’t, he turned back around.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“Aren’t you going to ask for my number?” Kyle countered.

“…You want me to?” Well he hadn’t expected that. He’d felt for sure that he’d blown his chances by acting like a creep. 

“Just give me a pen,” Kyle said impatiently, freeing a napkin from the holder to his left. 

“Sure thing, sweet cheeks.”

“Call me that again and I might reconsider,” Kyle warned, accepting the pen Kenny held out for him. He quickly scribbled a cell number across the napkin and slid it over to Kenny. “You better call.”

“Believe me, I will.” Kenny tucked the napkin into his apron pocket. 

For a moment they shared another intense round of eye contact and, again, Kyle was the one to break it. 

“I should go,” he said, cradling his coffee to his chest. He made no effort to leave. 

“I’m definitely going to call you.”

“You definitely better,” Kyle said. He smiled at Kenny then and Kenny swore the world stopped moving. If possible, Kyle looked even better when he smiled. “Okay, well… Bye.” 

Kenny wanted to reach out, to stop Kyle as he turned to leave. Instead he just trailed the redhead to the exist, admiring the rather spectacular view as he walked. 

When the bell jingled, confirming Kyle’s departure, Kenny slid the lock across and continued to watch Kyle walk away through the glass. Within moments the darkness swallowed him whole. 

Kenny finished lock up in a daze, barely aware of anything as he floated around tidying and cashing up. He was sure he made a handful of mistakes but they’d have to wait until Tweek arrived in the morning. Kenny was sure his coworker wouldn’t be impressed but, in Kenny’s defence, he was in love. 

Because love at first sight surely existed after an exchange like that. 

As he walked home, Kenny pulled out the napkin with Kyle’s number and his own cell. He smiled as he hit save and ‘Hot redhead Kyle’ appeared in his contacts. He’d call him in the morning to arrange a date. He was half tempted to call him now.

Absorbed as he was by his phone, Kenny didn’t notice the car until he was flying over its bonnet. As he flew through the air he saw the napkin with Kyle’s tidy handwriting flutter away, caught in a breeze.

So, death had finally caught up with him, huh? 

Kenny wasn’t even mad. 

He’d had the last laugh, after all. He’d managed to save the number of the love of his life before it could be lost forever. He wasn’t usually so lucky. 

Maybe today hadn’t been so bad, after all.


End file.
